Forgotten Villains In The Legend Of Zelda

Since The Legend of Zelda first debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, it's become one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, appearing on every single one of their handheld and home consoles. Most games center on the courageous hero Link, who is tasked with rescuing the wise Princess Zelda from the evil and powerful Ganondorf.

However, it can be easy to forget just how many villains have appeared throughout the Zelda series other than Ganondorf. Most of them only appeared in one game of the series, and sadly didn't make much of an impact beyond that. It's worth being reminded of these Zelda villains, many of whom were just as menacing as some of Ganondorf's most powerful iterations.

1 Veran

This Version-Exclusive Boss Serves A More Memorable Zelda Villain

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are some of the more forgettable entries in Nintendo's unforgettable franchise. As Game Boy Color releases, they copied the Pokemon method of releasing two slightly different games. While this confounded Zelda timeline purists for years, it also led to having two different villains, one of which being Veran.

While Veran has the privilege of being a rare female Zelda villain, she's merely a sorceress secretly serving Twinrova, who notably debuted in Ocarina of Time. At the very least, Veran makes for a decent boss fight, especially when she transforms into different creatures like a spider or bee. Her true fairy form would also be more terrifying if it wasn't confined to Game Boy pixel art.

2 General Onox

Veran's Oracle Of Seasons Counterpart

While Veran takes antagonist duties in Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons features a much different villain in the form of General Onox. This is a more familiar villain to the Zelda franchise, physically resembling the Iron Knuckle mini-boss from Ocarina of Time. However, he serves a similar purpose to Veran's in Labrynna, merely as a servant to Twinrova who plans to conquer the sister country of Holodrum.

Onox differs greatly from Veran in his boss battle, with different moves, and even a much different final form, resembling a massive dragon. At the very least, the pixel art behind Onox's transformation is a bit more interesting.

3 Bellum

He Puts The Phantom In Phantom Hourglass

There's a lot that's memorable about The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the DS sequel to The Wind Waker. However, what's surprisingly not memorable is the game's final boss: Bellum, a phantom with terrifying tendrils stealing the Life Force of people and turning them to stone. This led to him capturing Tetra and petrifying her, not even realizing she was actually Princess Zelda.

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It's interesting in hindsight for a Zelda game to have a villain who's less conniving and more a creature of dark instinct. However, as it embodies many different forms, it can be hard to remember the specifics of this monster exactly. There is at least one memorable fight against a possessed Linebeck trapped inside a suit of armor, known as Bellumbeck.

4 Agahnim

A Classic Villain Who's Never Returned

Although The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was only the third Zelda game to be released, it was quick to set a precedent for the series by reintroducing Ganon as the final boss. For most of the game before that, however, players assume their ultimate enemy is Agahnim, who simply turns out to be another alter-ego of Ganon disguised as a worshipping sorcerer.

Nevertheless, Agahnim has yet to reappear in the series, though it may be possible the use of the character was composited into Ganondorf, Ganon's human form. It's also possible Zant from Twilight Princess was conceived to be a more original, memorable version of Agahnim. Either way, it'd be fascinating to see a reinterpretation of this character in a modern Zelda title.

5 Mucktorok

The Most Unimpressive Boss From Tears Of The Kingdom

Because Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom revolve around Ganon, whether it be Calamity Ganon or Ganondorf, the actual boss battles in the game can be somewhat forgettable. But none are more underwhelming, at least in design, than Mucktorok from Tears of the Kingdom, who is battled at the end of the Water Temple and the source of pollution in Lanayru.

While its true form resembles a squid, when traveling through its created muck it takes on the form of a shark. It can be quite a frustrating fight, considering the sludge it leaves behind will slow Link's movements while traveling through it. The one bonus to this fight, despite Mucktorok's forgettability, is getting to team up with Prince Sidon to clear the battlefield of mud.

6 Lady Maud

The 3DS Wasn't A Great Showcase For Zelda Villains

There aren't many Zelda games that are more forgettable than Tri Force Heroes, the Nintendo 3DS title which emphasized multiplayer co-op with a requirement of three players. Lady Maud, a.k.a. The Lady, is one of the final bosses of the game, a witch who curses the beautiful Princess Styla by forcing her to wear an ugly, brown jumpsuit that she can't take off.

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Summoning three Links to undo Lady Maud's curse, players eventually face off against her, or rather, her Pets. It's not until the Sky Temple that players get to battle Lady Maud directly, which involves very elaborate dresses and lots of projectile parasols. Suffice it to say, but she doesn't leave a lasting impression, and neither does the criminally-short Tri Force Heroes.

7 Byrne

A Terrifying But Forgettable Force From Spirit Tracks

As far as handheld Zelda games go, Spirit Tracks is one that many fans of the franchise have fond memories of. However, while their minds may immediately think of Chancellor Cole or Malladus as the main antagonists of the game, they might be pleased to be reminded of Byrne, a recurring boss throughout the game who is sent by Cole to kill Link, desiring the power of Malladus.

After fighting Byrne in the Tower of Spirits, Byrne is betrayed by Malladus, possessing the body of Princess Zelda. He then becomes an ally for Link and Phantom Zelda, eventually sacrificing himself so that Zelda can return to her body and Malladus can be defeated. Although the game promises Byrne will come back, he has yet to return to the franchise, leaving him in the dust.

8 Cia

Hyrule Warriors Brought New Masks To The Series

While the Hyrule Warriors games are not canon to the Zelda timeline, they do have some pretty neat characters all to themselves. One of them is Cia, the game's main antagonist who launches a war against Hyrule. As it turns out, Cia was not always evil, as she originally was a protector of the Triforce whose romantic desire for Link was preyed upon by Ganondorf for evil purposes.

As a result, Cia's light and dark sides were split, with the light manifesting in Hyrule's ally Lana, another original character to Hyrule Warriors. Cia's arc throughout the game is quite tragic for a Zelda game, but considering the status of Hyrule Warriors as a Wii U spin-off title, it's rare that many remember the character much at all.

9 Thunderbird

An Out-Of-Place Boss From The Early Days

Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link can't be blamed for introducing a lot of aspects to the franchise that weren't continued in subsequent games. As the second Zelda game, Nintendo was still in a period of discovery and experimentation with what a Zelda game even is. That's never more apparent than the appearance of Thunderbird, a real-life mythological creature, as an endgame boss.

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However, according to the manual for The Adventure of Link, this Thunderbird was created by the King of Hyrule to protect the Triforce. Unfortunately, it was corrupted by the evil of Dark Link and must be defeated before Link fights his shadow. It'd be interesting to see Nintendo adapt this character into a future game, but considering how forgettable the fight is, it probably isn't likely.

10 Vaati

Ganondorf's Handheld Counterpart Has Gone Missing

As far as Zelda games go, few villains have appeared more than once other than Ganondorf. However, one that's been absent from the series for a very long time is Vaati, who was introduced as the antagonist of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the Game Boy Advance. He's one of the few villains in the series to have no connections to Ganon, but the two have many similarities.

The character's backstory is expanded upon in The Minish Cap, in which it's revealed that Vaati was a Minish himself, before becoming cursed by an evil hat and seeking to claim the Light Force, a powerful Hylian relic. However, Vaati hasn't appeared in a Zelda game since that Game Boy title, though perhaps he's long overdue for a revival to remind gamers of Ganondorf's former alternative.

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